"Witnessing Whiteness" -- A New Book by Shelly Tochluk

By Luis Rodriguez · January 07, 2008

07

January 2008

My friend, Shelly Tochluk, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of the Elementary Education Department at Mount St. Mary's College near downtown LA where she trains teachers in the LA area. She has been active for years bringing consciousness of racism and race issues to various communities. She now has a book that attempts to address "whiteness" in the US with testimony by various cross-cultural leaders, activists and artists, male and female.

She's also on the leadership team of AWARE-LA -- Alliance of White Antiracists Everywhere-Los Angeles.

Shelly's book is "Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture," published by Rowman & Littlefield. Here's what Shelly has to say about this important book:

"Witnessing Whiteness" invites people, especially those of European ancestry, to consider their relationship to white privilege and the lingering shadows of racism. In an easy to read style, this book helps people understand why race is still a relevant issue, how race influences white people’s daily lives, and how to develop the beginnings of an antiracist practice.

This book includes personal testimony from well-respected cultural workers across race, such as Luis Rodriguez (author of Always Running), to offer dialogue that illustrates how whiteness embeds itself in our psyche, lingers through continued social conditioning, and affects cross-race interactions. This book is accessible and intended for all people, but speaks directly to educators and trainers at various levels.

Shelly's book release celebration is scheduled for February 23, 2008 from 5 to 9 PM. The evening will include poetry, dialogue, and exploration of the steps toward an antiracist practice and culture. It will be held at The Donahue Center, Mount St. Mary's College, 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles, CA 90007.